6 1 0 2 r e b o t c O e e t t i m m o C y r o s i v d A l a n o i g e R c f i c a P U.S. Department of Education of Department U.S. Education Needs Education Addressing Regional Addressing Identifying and and Identifying This page was intentionally left blank. The Pacific Region: A Report Identifying and Addressing the Region’s Educational Needs October 5, 2016 Authors Jackson Miller Rikki Welch Brittany McGill Submitted to Submitted by U.S. Department of Education Insight Policy Research, Inc. Office of Elementary and Secondary 1901 North Moore Street Education Suite 1100 400 Maryland Avenue SW Arlington, VA 22209 Washington, DC 20202 Program Officer Project Director Kim Okahara Laura Holian Acknowledgements his report was prepared by Insight Policy Research under Contract No. ED-ESE-15-A-0010/0001 with Tthe U.S. Department of Education. The report represents a team effort with many individuals making important contributions, and we gratefully acknowledge their assistance. We recognize the sustained help of Kim Okahara, Program Officer; Britt Jung, Group Leader in the Office of School Support and Rural Programs; and Patrice Swann, the Contracting Officer’s Representative from the U.S. Department of Education. We thank the members of the Pacific Regional Advisory Committee—Sheena Alaiasa, Kevin Gee, and Rita Sablan—whose time, insights, and data collection efforts were crucial to the development of this report. We also thank Laura Holian and Brittany Cunningham from Insight Policy Research for their assistance in preparing the regional profile, developing templates for data collection, and providing logistical and administrative support for the committee’s needs-sensing activities. Insight ▪ The Pacific Region: A Report Identifying and Addressing the Region’s Educational Needs Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ i Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4 A. Legislative Background .................................................................................................................... 4 B. Regional Background Information ................................................................................................... 4 C. Challenges Affecting Regional Needs .............................................................................................. 8 D. Data Collection and Outreach Strategies ......................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2. Educational Needs and Recommendations for Addressing the Needs..................................... 11 References .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Appendix A. Region Educational Profile ................................................................................................... A-1 Appendix B. Needs and Recommendations From Committee Members ................................................. B-1 Insight ▪ The Pacific Region: A Report Identifying and Addressing the Region’s Educational Needs Tables Table A. Pacific RAC members ....................................................................................................................... i Table 1. Members of the public submitting comments by state .................................................................. 9 Table 2. Members of the public submitting comments by stakeholder group .......................................... 10 Table 3. Summary of needs and recommendations by committee member ............................................. 12 Insight ▪ The Pacific Region: A Report Identifying and Addressing the Region’s Educational Needs i Executive Summary his report summarizes the activities and results of the Pacific Regional Advisory Committee (RAC), 1 T of 10 RACs established under the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. § 9601 et seq.). The RACs were formed to identify the region’s most critical educational needs and develop recommendations for technical assistance to meet those needs. The technical assistance provided to state education agencies (SEAs) aims to build capacity for supporting local education agencies (LEAs or districts) and schools, especially low-performing districts and schools; improving educational outcomes for all students; closing achievement gaps; and improving the quality of instruction. The Pacific RAC, represented in this report, includes American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Guam, Hawaii, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Committee members convened three times and reached out to their respective constituencies between July 19, 2016, and August 31, 2016. Members of the Pacific RAC represented a variety of stakeholders, including SEAs, institutions of higher education, and schools. The members collaborated, communicated, and shared resources using Communities360⁰, an interactive online platform hosted within the larger GRADS360⁰ system housed within the secure U.S. Department of Education environment. Table A shows the three Pacific committee members and their affiliations. Two representatives from FSM were invited to participate, but did not respond to the invitation. Table A. Pacific RAC members Member name Affiliation State/Area Sheena Alaiasa Kamehameha High School Hawaii Kevin Gee University of California, Davis Outlying territories Rita A. Sablan Northern Mariana Islands Public School System CNMI Members reviewed a regional profile containing educational statistics and other relevant data to inform their individual assessments of the challenges facing their region. The island states, territories, and nations in the Pacific region cover an expansive geographic area remote from the continental United States (and from one another). With the exception of Guam, each area is composed of multiple islands with unique challenges relative to mainland states. Together, the populations of the island states and territories in the Pacific region are scattered over more than 100 inhabited islands that cover a geographic area larger than the continental United States. Each area has distinct and variable political, economic, and educational systems; diverse cultural, ethnic, and linguistic heritages; and unique and complex historical ties to the United States. While Hawaii is among the 50 United States, American Samoa, the CNMI, and Guam are U.S. territories. The Freely Associated States—made up of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau—are sovereign nations affiliated with the United States. The Federated States of Micronesia are made up of the nations of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. As a result of the diversity in the region, the educational needs vary significantly. Hawaii’s student population includes a slightly higher proportion of English language learners relative to the national average, but otherwise its demographics, educational resources, and teacher preparation efforts are similar to national averages. Hawaiian student proficiency rates on state assessments and the ACT are lower than the national averages. However, the profiles of American Samoa, the CNMI, the FSM, Guam, Insight ▪ The Pacific Region: A Report Identifying and Addressing the Region’s Educational Needs i the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau differ substantially from Hawaii and the rest of the United States. English is rarely students’ native language; employment opportunities are limited for high school and postsecondary graduates; and recruiting, retaining, and training high-quality educators are significant challenges. Postsecondary educational opportunities are more limited in many of these island areas, and some islands experience “brain drain” when students attend postsecondary education elsewhere and fail to return home because of weaker economies, lower wages, and fewer opportunities in the labor markets. See appendix A for detailed tables on the educational characteristics of the region. Members collaborated to develop a plan for soliciting information on the region’s educational needs. They engaged stakeholders and disseminated information by administering an online survey; conducting focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews with stakeholders; and reviewing extant literature on the educational needs of the region, including recently conducted educational needs assessments in Hawaii and American Samoa. Members focused their efforts on distributing the survey to the widest possible group of stakeholders. As a result of the committee’s outreach efforts, a total of 138 individuals responded to the survey and 91 responded through focus groups, telephone interviews, and email correspondence. Of the 229 total respondents, 6 were from the state level, 16 were from the local or regional level, 57 were from the school level, 136 were from the classroom level, and 14 were from the community level. Teachers represented the largest group of respondents. Each committee member prepared a report containing a needs assessment and specific recommendations for future technical assistance based on his or her assessment of the region’s unique educational environment, the survey results, and